Two Girls And Their Monsters
by pleasesaycaroline
Summary: "Love is hope." The girls that always smile help each other find their way to the ones that will always hold their hand (and heart). AU. Klaroline. Rumbelle.


...

**Prologue**

It's not like the bars back home. There is no friendly atmosphere to safely read your book to. There is no skirt on these odd gowns. They do not let her order beer because she does not have one of those cards with her face on it. She cannot sing along to the loud music. She cannot sit down without being asked rather strange questions from various types of men. But she smiles. She smiles because it's a new experience and she's already taken this opportunity to show that she can survive on her own.

"Hey there, is it hot in here or is it just you?" There they go with those bizarre questions again.

"Oh, yes it is rather hot." She nods at him and then continues reading her book. He blinks before pursing his lips and walking away with a nod. The red headed beauty tears her eyes away from her book and towards the sound of laughter. A blonde in a blood red thigh high dress is watching her with interest.

"What?" She inquires with a light chuckle. The blonde looks to the bar then is suddenly sitting beside the red head in the aqua blue knee length dress.

"You know he was hitting on you, right?" She sucks her drink from a straw and watches the girl with the wavy red hair furrow her eyebrows. "He liked you," her blonde curls bounce as she shakes her head teasingly.

"But he does not know me." She carefully places her bookmark on the right page and closes her book. The blonde studies her then licks her lips and narrows her eyes before leaning closer to the mysterious girl.

"Where are you from?" And she tells her. Tells this complete stranger about the curse, the two lives in her head, her true love— everything. But she smiles through it. Even when she talks about the screw she spent days secretly unscrewing from her metal cot just so she could scrape a line on the wall for each day she spent in that tower. Even when she talks about the emptiness she felt alone in that asylum for twenty eight years. And even when she talks about the reason she is here; sitting in this bar, on this night, telling this stranger her life story.

Then when she is finished she expects to be laughed at. It has happened before. But instead two soft arms wrap around her shoulders and the stranger holds her for quite a long time, although she does not complain. She does not want to. When the blonde stranger releases her, Belle French hears the story of Caroline Forbes. And she watches as the girl smiles through it. Even when she talks about how confused and abused she felt when her best friend's new boyfriend used to do horrific things to her. Even when she talks about how she was murdered and the things she did afterwards that she'll never forgive herself for. And even when she talks about the reason she is here; sitting in this bar, on this night, telling this stranger her life story.

When she is finished Belle asks if she has a little card with her face on it and the two girls who always smile do exactly that. When Caroline returns from the bar Belle asks what the lemon and salt is for and the blonde's smile widens.

* * *

"He is your true love!" Belle giggles.

Caroline huffs and downs another shot before licking salt off of the back of her hand and wincing. "Is not!"

"He is perfect for you." Belle shoves her shoulder lightly. "You need to kiss him so that you feel it."

"Feel what?" Caroline traces her finger along the edge of her glass.

"The spark!" Belle says as if it's obvious. "That feeling when your heart flutters and all you can smell is him, all you can feel is him. It's like—it's like he consumes you. And you just know that it's him and—and it's always going to be him." A sigh escapes her lips and she gently picks at the corner of her book. "I need to find him, Caroline. I need to find Balefire, for him." The blonde nods and bites her lip.

"Then we will do it together." The vampire decides and the princess's mouth opens as she looks at the ex-stranger.

"Really?" Belle asks and Caroline shrugs but smiles.

"Well I happen to live on Earth so I may be able to help." Caroline winks and the girls share a smile. And that's how they leave the bar that is so familiar to one and so foreign to the other. The girl who came to hide and the other that came to find walking hand in hand, smiling.

* * *

**tbc**

* * *

**a/n - **I started watching OUAT...I probably just ruined my life.


End file.
